Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL: Alternate Universe
by kcreactor
Summary: In an alternate universe, Astral did not appear to Yuma, but to a certain other person... Can that other person handle the task of acquiring the Number cards? Or will he succumb to the forces of darkness and become possessed by the very cards he needs to obtain? Shark-centric, no pairings
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: kcreactor does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL

* * *

Chapter One

"Go, Submersible Carrier Aeroshark! Attack him directly!" a purple-haired teenager yelled, pointing toward a larger boy with dark green hair.

The large, dark-haired boy yelped and took a step back as two machine-like sharks linked by some metallic shafts flew toward him, jaws open. The two sharks crashed into him, causing a large explosion and sending the boy skidding backwards. "Oomph!" he groaned as he landed painfully on his back. Meanwhile, two lackeys flanking the purple-haired boy snickered stupidly.

Bronk: 0 LP

"Bronk!" cried another nearby boy, who was wearing a white T-shirt, a red tie, a golden pendant, and blue jeans and sported a weird, spiky mass of hair that was predominantly black but had some red in the front. He ran up to the fallen boy, closely followed by a green-haired girl wearing a sleeveless white shirt and a pink skirt.

Wincing, Bronk got to his feet and dusted himself off, clearly trying hard to look as though he was unfazed by that last attack that had just occurred. "I'm fine," he replied dismissively, trying to brush off the two new arrivals.

"That may be," interrupted the purple-haired boy from earlier, "but your Deck certainly isn't!" He smirked cruelly, holding out a hand. "Remember our deal, Bronk?"

Bronk grimaced, reluctantly pulling out his Duel Deck and handing it over to the purple-haired boy, sighing. "All right, Shark, you win. A deal's a deal," he said, looking resigned.

"Why, thank you, Bronk," grinned Shark, pocketing his newly acquired Deck.

However, the spiky-haired boy looked anything but resigned. In fact, he looked indignant. "Wait a minute!" he snarled. "Why are you taking Bronk's Deck?!"

Shark laughed softly, not even bothering to make eye contact with his new challenger. "I don't see how it's any of your business," he responded, smirking all the while.

"Me? I'm Yuma Tsukumo!" declared the spiky-haired boy, taking a step forward. "And I happen to be Bronk's best friend!"

Shark's smirk slowly shrank until it completely disappeared, replacing itself with a look of annoyance. He made a motion with his head, and the two large teenagers on either side of him moved forward threateningly. "Listen, punk," one of them ground out. "Do you know who this we are?"

"Yuma..." the green-haired girl whispered worriedly.

But Yuma didn't back down. "Don't worry, Tori," he said to the girl. "I know who _he_ is," he replied boldly, turning back to the lackey and gesturing at Shark. Turning to said person, he continued, "You're the leader of a gang of bullies around here, aren't you? You duel people, and then, if you win, you take their Decks!"

Shark's grin reappeared. "So you know what I do. Well in that case, you can probably guess what happened here. Your _friend_," he placed mocking emphasis on the word _friend_, "and I dueled each other, and we agreed that the winner would get the loser's Deck. As you can tell," he gestured, "your friend Bronk here lost."

"Bronk!" Yuma cried in dismay, turning to his friend. "Why would you duel him when you knew you would lose?!"

Bronk looked away and began dusting himself off some more. "I didn't want to at first," he mumbled. "But then—then he and his goons started calling me a big chicken!"

"That's right," agreed Shark. "And Bronk here couldn't being called a chicken, could he, boys?" All three of the bullies laughed cruelly.

"Grr..." Yuma's fist clenched involuntarily. Suddenly, he found himself pointing at Shark. "That's it, Shark! You've gone too far!" His entire body was trembling with rage. "When you mess with one of my friends... you mess with me! Shark, I'm challenging you to a Duel! And if I win," he swept his arm around to point at Bronk, "you'll give Bronk's Deck back, along with everyone else's!"

"What?!" the goon on Shark's left cried. "You're out of your mind! A kid like you can't Duel with the likes of Shark! You're not even in the same _league_ with him!"

"Is that so?" challenged Yuma. "So is that a no, Shark? Are you... a _chicken_?"

Shark's smile slowly morphed into a frown, his eyes becoming unfocused. "Me... a chicken?" he whispered, as though having difficulty understanding the word. Then his eyes cleared, and he growled at Yuma. "Do you know what happens when someone calls me a chicken?"

Yuma gulped, taking a step back. _Okay, so maybe I didn't really think this part through._ "Uh... something bad?" he guessed.

"I don't know," Shark yelled, "because no one's ever called me that before!"

"Oh yeah? Well..." Yuma paused to think, "then let this be the first time!"

"Hmph." Shark frowned as though thinking about this challenge, and then suddenly broke into a feral grin. "Well, I admire your confidence, kid! But say I were to accept this challenge... If I lose, I'd lose all of these Decks that I've won. But if I win, the way it is right now, I wouldn't get anything! So," his hand shot out to point at Yuma, "here's my question: What do _you_ have to offer _me_ if I win?"

Yuma hesitated. _Guess I didn't think this part through either..._ He involuntarily looked down toward his golden pendant.

_Eh?_ Shark followed Yuma's gaze... and noticed the pendant for the first time as well. He smirked inwardly. _Well, guess I found my prize_. He reached forward and snatched the pendant off of Yuma's neck. "Say," he spoke, "how about this necklace of yours?"

"Huh?" Yuma cried out. "Hey! That's mine! Give it back! This wasn't part of the deal! Give it here!" He jumped up and tried to grab Shark, but the two lackeys jumped in and pushed him back, causing him to lose his balance and fall. He immediately jumped again and continued trying to reach Shark, only to be pushed back again and again.

"Well, then," Shark continued, ignoring Yuma's antics, "it seems like it's settled, then. We'll meet on Saturday, at the park. If I lose, I'll give back all the Decks that I took. But if _you_ lose..." he paused ominously, "I'll take your Deck, and this necklace of yours, too!"

"Yuma!" protested Bronk. "Don't do it! You'll lose for sure! I'm over it, really!"

"That's right, Yuma!" agreed Tori. "If you lose... you'll lose your Deck, and I know how important that pendant is to you!"

But Yuma simply continued to fixate on Shark, seemingly oblivious to Bronk and Tori's protests. "All right," he growled. "I'll accept those terms. But I want my pendant back now!"

Shark simply smirked at him. "I don't think so. You'll get your pendant back when and if you beat me in our little duel. Until then... I think I'll keep this little necklace. As insurance, if you will. I'm sure you understand." He began to walk away, twirling Yuma's pendant by its string.

"Hey!" Yuma cried, running after him. Shark's goons once again intercepted him, grabbing him and throwing him onto the ground. "Oomph!"

"Yuma!" cried Tori worriedly, running forward to help her friend up.

Yuma quickly got to his feet, shrugging Tori off obliviously. "Shark..." he growled softly. "I want my pendant back! Now!"

Shark fixed him with an annoyed stare. "Listen, brat, I already said no. You should feel lucky that I'm even agreeing to this at all. Now unless you want to take back that challenge of yours, get out of my sight and don't return until our Duel on Saturday. Otherwise... my boys are going to have some more fun with you."

With that, he strolled off, his lackeys trailing slightly behind him.

"Hey!" Yuma yelled. "Get back here!" His fists were clenched, and he seemed about to run after Shark when Tori put her hand on his shoulder.

"Yuma," she said softly. "Think about what you're doing. If you go after them, you'll just get even more hurt. In fact, it'd be safest if you didn't show up tomorrow at all. Forget it, Yuma! Bronk's already said that he doesn't care—"

"Yeah, that's right, Yuma!" Bronk chimed in. "Shark's just a bully, that's all—but that's no reason for you to go Duel him and lose for sure! That's what he wants you to do, and I know how important that pendant is to you—"

"No," Yuma answered. "Listen, guys, I appreciate that you care, but this is something I have to do, okay? It may have started when I saw you and Shark dueling, Bronk, but you said it yourself: Shark is a bully! And bullies..." He looked in the direction Shark had left. "They have to be stopped. And I'm going to be the one to do it."

"Yuma..." Tori murmured. "But... why?"

"Because," Yuma answered, "I couldn't live with myself if I didn't. I'd be dishonoring the memory of my dad... and that's the whole point of me having that pendant in the first place. If I can't beat Shark... I don't deserve to have it."

* * *

"So, Yuma, are you ready for this?" Shark asked ominously, his posture relaxed, an aura of menace exuding from his body. Yuma's golden key dangled from his neck.

"You bet I'm ready!" Yuma cried.

There was a series of machine-like beeps and whirs as both Duelists strapped on their Duel Disks. "Duel Disk, go! Duel Gazer, set! Let's duel!" both cried simultaneously.

Yuma: 4000 LP

Shark: 4000 LP

Yuma drew his starting hand, and his face quickly morphed into a grin. "All right!" he shouted. "I'll start us off! I draw!" He looked down at his hand. "I Summon Zubaba Knight to the field in Attack Mode!"

A gold-armored warrior with twin blades and a red cape appeared.

Zubaba Knight: 1600 ATK

"I end my turn!"

"Then it's my move! I draw," Shark snarled, "and I Summon Big Jaws in Attack Mode!"

A ferocious looking grayish-blue shark appeared on the field, eying Yuma's Knight hungrily.

Big Jaws: 1800 ATK

"Uh-oh!" cried Yuma. "That thing's stronger than my Zubaba Knight! At this rate, my Knight'll be toast!"

"If you think Big Jaws is strong now," responded Shark with a feral grin, "you should take a good look at this next card! I activate the Spell Card, Aqua Jet! With it, my Big Jaws gets powered up with a thousand more ATK Points!"

Big Jaws: 2800 ATK

"Ack!" gasped Yuma. "Not good!"

"Not good is right!" yelled Shark. "Big Jaws, attack! Swallow that Knight of his whole!"

The shark flew toward Zubaba Knight and closed its powerful jaws on it, causing Yuma's monster to shatter into thousands of yellow shards.

"And now," Shark continued, "let me remind you: Since your monster was in Attack Mode when it was destroyed, you take damage equal to the difference between our two monster's ATK Points!"

"Aahhh!" Yuma screamed as he was blasted backwards by a gust of wind.

Yuma: 2800 LP

"Yuma!" cried Tori, standing uneasily at the sidelines.

"Next time, place your weaker monsters in Defense Mode," sneered Shark. "I place one card face-down and end my turn! Now that I've ended my turn, Big Jaws returns to its original ATK Points! It's your move, Yuma!"

Big Jaws: 1800 ATK

"All right, then," Yuma growled resiliently. "I draw!" After taking a brief look at his hand, he cried, "Nice! I Summon Gagaga Magician to the field in Attack Mode!"

A strange-looking cloaked figure with a chain appeared on the field.

Gagaga Magician: 1500 ATK

"Psht," snorted Shark carelessly. "That monster only has 1500 ATK Points! It's no match for my Big Jaws!"

"Wrong!" retorted Yuma.

"Huh?"

"You told me to place my weaker monsters in Defense Mode," explained Yuma. "But Gagaga Magician is far from a weak monster! And now I'm going to show you why! I'm equipping Wonder Wand to Gagaga Magician! With this card, my Magician gains 500 ATK Points!"

Gagaga Magician: 2000 ATK

"Nice!" said Bronk from the sidelines. "With that Equip Spell on it, now Gagaga Magician is stronger than Shark's monster!"

"Go, Gagaga Magician!" called Yuma. "Attack Big Jaws with Energy Flash!"

"Not so fast, Yuma!" Shark snarled. "I activate my Trap Card—Zeus' Breath!"

"Zeus' Breath?" wondered Tori. "What does that do?"

"Allow me to explain!" Shark cried. "When Zeus' Breath is activated, I can negate one attack from a monster you control! So it looks like your Magician won't be attacking Big Jaws this turn! But that's not all!" He grinned mirthlessly. "After your attack is negated, if I happen to control a WATER monster, you take 800 points of damage! And it just so happens that Big Jaws is a WATER monster! So prepare yourself, Yuma! Go, Zeus! Raging Tidal Wave!"

"AAHH!" Yuma yelled out as he was swept backwards by a huge torrent of water.

Yuma: 2000 LP

"Face it, Yuma," said Shark mockingly. "There's no way you can win! You might as well give up now and save yourself some trouble!"

"Never!" answered Yuma. "I place one card face-down and end my turn!"

"In that case, it's my turn! I draw!" Shark looked down at his hand briefly before smirking cruelly. "Say good-bye, Yuma! I Summon Skull Kraken to the field in Attack Mode!"

A skull appeared with several tentacles underneath it.

Skull Kraken: 600 ATK

"Huh?" Tori questioned. "But that monster has lower ATK Points than Gagaga Magician? Why would Shark Summon it to the field?"

"I don't know," Bronk answered darkly, "but I'd bet it isn't for anything good."

"Watch and learn, Yuma!" Shark intoned. "I activate Skull Kraken's special ability! When Skull Kraken is Summoned, I can destroy one Spell or Trap Card you control! So I'm destroying your Wonder Wand! And since Wonder Wand has been destroyed, Gagaga Magician returns to normal!"

Gagaga Magician: 1500 ATK

"Give up, Yuma," mocked Shark. "It's over and you know it. After my Big Jaws destroys your Magician, Skull Kraken can attack you directly, and then you'll be down to a mere 1100 Life Points, which would be easy pickings even for someone like you! You're finished!"

Yuma looked down, not answering. _No... Can I really lose now, after having come so far? __Am I... just not good enough?_

Shark laughed coldly. "To think that I actually accepted your challenge. Those cards of yours are worse than useless! At the very least, I hope that you'll learn your lesson: Don't pick fights that you can't win!"

"No, Shark," answered Yuma. "That's a lesson I'll never learn! Even if you knock me down, I'll stand up and keep fighting, because when you're feeling the flow, there's no turning back! And speaking of feeling the flow, I so... am!"

A shock wave seemed to come out from Yuma, spreading across the entire Duel Field. When it reached the golden pendant hanging around Shark's neck, the pendant appeared to react strangely, beginning to glow a bright yellow and float slightly above Shark's chest.

"Wh-what's going on?" Shark cried, frightened. "Yuma! What's going on here?! What's with this necklace of yours?! Ugh—no!" He screamed as he was enveloped in a blast of golden light.

* * *

"_Unngh..." Shark groaned as he sat up, rubbing his head. "What happened? All I can remember is that I was dueling Yuma... and—" He sat bolt upright. "Yuma! His necklace! This is all his fault! I swear, when I find him, I'll—" He abruptly stopped and looked around. "Wait a minute... Where am I?"_

_A strange door resembling a fanged face loomed in front of him, behind which glowed a soft, ethereal light._

"_Okay, that's weird," muttered Shark, __pinching himself on the arm. "__I can feel pain, so this isn't a dream... __So then wh__at__ is this place, __and why am I here__?"_

Reginald Kastle,_ boomed __a ghostly voice, seemingly emanating from the door._ You hold in your hand the key to great power. But with great power comes great risk. Will you open the door to your new found power?

"_What? I hold a key in my hand?" Shark looked down and saw that he for some reason was holding Yuma's golden pendant. "This thing's... a key?" He looked up. "But more importantly, who are you and how do you know my name?"_

I am the door to great power, _the voice boomed._ If you choose to open this door, you shall be granted power beyond your wildest dreams. Will you open the door, Reginald Kastle?

"_Great power, huh?" Shark glanced down at the key before smirking evilly. "Well, well... It seems our friend Yuma's full of surprises. To think that he'd have something like this—heh, I bet he doesn't even know what it is. All right, I'll open this door. How do I open it?"_

Use the key,_ the voice answered, beginning to fade away._ Use... the key...

"_Use the key, huh? Well, that didn't help much at all... Wait!" Shark ran up to the door and felt it. "There's a groove here. It seems just the right size for the pendant... Eh, whatever. Let's try it!" And with that, he thrust the key into the groove._

_Golden light burst everywhere, changing everything to just a haze of gold. Shark floated in the air restlessly until the light faded to black. "Huh?" Shark found himself at the center of a sphere of brilliantly glowing cards. Suddenly, all the cards exploded outwards and away from Shark. He felt himself falling... falling... falling..._

* * *

"Ohh..." Shark groaned, swaying on his feet, stars dancing before his eyes. "What happened?" He lifted his head and barely saw Yuma standing in front of him, his two friends observing him closely.

"Hey, Bronk," Tori said. "Is it just me, or does Yuma seem weird?"

"Huh?" Bronk answered obliviously. "He's Yuma. He's always weird. What's your point?"

"No, I mean he's weirder than usual," Tori countered.

"Hey, now that you mention it," Bronk mused, looking at Yuma strangely, "you're right. He does seem kinda out-of-whack. Maybe Shark's gotten to him?"

For Yuma was hunched over, his red eyes glazed. His mouth slowly stretched into a sinister grin. He started speaking in a voice that sounded exactly like Yuma, yet somehow... eviller. "Shark... I'm going to beat you in this Duel. Hurry up and end your turn so I can crush you!"

Shark rubbed the stars out of his eyes. "That was weird..." he muttered. "Ah, whatever," he dismissed, returning his attention to Yuma. "You say you're going to crush me? Hmph, I'd like to see you try! Big Jaws, attack!"

Gagaga Magician was quickly crushed into bits of golden particles by the huge shark.

Again, a blast of wind rolled toward Yuma, but this time, the spiky-haired boy hardly seemed fazed by it.

Yuma: 1700 LP

"Skull Kraken, attack Yuma directly!" yelled Shark.

The skull zoomed toward Yuma and slashed at him with its tentacles. But again, Yuma stood firm.

Yuma: 1100 LP

"Whatever it is, Yuma's focus sure seems to have improved," noted Bronk.

"Yeah, but he doesn't seem himself, don't you notice?" returned Tori worriedly. "Yuma's not _supposed_ to have good focus! And even if his focus has improved, his Life Points are still way lower, and he doesn't have any monsters while Shark has—"

"That's true, Tori," replied Bronk. "But right now, we can't do anything about it, and from the way Yuma looks he certainly seems to have a plan. Let's just hope it's a good one."

"I end my turn!" Shark declared. _Of course, I could have finished him off by Xyz Summoning my Submersible Carrier Aeroshark, but __I want to see what he's got in store first._

"My move!" snarled Yuma, snatching a card from his Deck. "I draw! And first I Summon out Gogogo Golem, in Attack Mode!"

A rock-looking monster appeared on the field, shielding itself with two large arms.

Gogogo Golem: 1800 ATK

"Next, I activate the Spell Card Monster Reborn!" declared Yuma. "And with it, I'm bringing back Gagaga Magician!"

Gagaga Magician: 1500 ATK

"Now I overlay my Level 4 Gogogo Golem and Gagaga Magician!" Yuma cried, grinning maniacally. "I'm ending your reign of terror here and now, Shark! With these two monsters I build the Overlay Network and Xyz Summon... Number 39: Utopia!"

A huge warrior clad in white-gold armor with an enormous blade at its side appeared, towering over Shark menacingly.

Number 39: Utopia: 2500 ATK (OVL: 2)

"Where did Yuma get _that_ monster?!" gasped Bronk surprisedly.

At that point, a stylized, glowing "39" appeared on the back of Yuma's hand, and a darkish-golden aura seemed to flare up around him. "You're finished, Shark," he said, all too gleefully. "Utopia, attack! Destroy his Skull Kraken with Rising Sun Slash!"

Shark braced himself for the hit, but when Yuma's monster destroyed his own, he felt a pain unlike any he had ever felt before in a Duel—did that "Utopia" monster just inflict real damage? Unable to contain himself, Shark let out a scream of anguish as pain flooded his entire body.

Shark: 2400 LP

"What the... what was that?" he muttered, looking up fearfully at the golden warrior.

"N-no way," muttered one of Shark's lackeys in astonishment.

"That punk managed to score a hit against the boss," the other one said fearfully. "And a pretty big one, too!"

"So you've felt it," Yuma murmured, and his red eyes widened with pleasure. "You've felt the pain of a Number's attack! I knew it! I knew you would never be able to stand up to me—you, who only fight for yourself! Those who bully will never prevail—and I'm going to prove it—not just by defeating you in a Duel, but by crushing you so hard you will never muster the courage to bully someone ever again!"

"You—you're crazy—aren't you?!" Shark accused, coughing slowly. "Who—_what_ are you?!"

"I'm your vengeance personified, Shark!" shouted Yuma, now looking unquestionably deranged. Intoxicated by his bully-slaying rage, he continued, "I'm the one who will make you answer to your sins—and my Number 39: Utopia will be my weapon of choice—to make you pay!"

"Okay," conceded Bronk, "you're right, Tori, Yuma's definitely not himself. What could be going on? At this rate, I'm not sure if I want him to win..."

"Your end is near, Shark! And I intend to be the one delivering it! I end my turn with a face-down card!" Yuma declared.

Shark steeled himself to continue fighting. _Ughh... __If __I don't finish him off this turn, I'm toast... __But what can I do? __That monster of his seems unbeatable... __No! __I just have fight on! __I can beat him!_

"It's my turn, Yuma! I draw!" Shark looked down at his hand. His eyes widened. _Of course!_ "I Tribute Big Jaws in order to Tribute Summon my Jawsman!"

A purple creature with two legs appeared, mouths with sharp teeth opening all over it.

Jawsman: 2600 ATK

"And since Jawsman has more ATK Points than your puny Number," Shark sneered, "he can take it out! Go, Jawsman, attack Number 39: Utopia!"

Yuma stood firm, a strange smile fixed on his face as Shark's huge creature barreled toward Utopia.

Yuma: 1000 LP

As the smoke cleared from Shark's attack, something was noticeably wrong.

"What?!" exclaimed Shark, eyes wide with fear and astonishment. "H-how—?"

Yuma's huge golden-clad warrior still stood, sword held firmly in one hand, seemingly having parried Jawsman's attack.

"It seems you've noticed Utopia's special ability," Yuma noted with an extremely creepy smile. "Well, I suppose that's a bit inaccurate. Actually, this is a special ability that pertains to _all_ Number monsters!"

"_All_ Numbers?" Bronk gasped.

"That's right, Bronk," Yuma answered, turning to his friend. This time, the smile on his face was so genuine and sincere-looking that he almost looked like the regular Yuma—if not for the menacing golden aura still surrounding him. "Number monsters can't be destroyed in battle except by other Number monsters!"

"Other Number monsters?!" exclaimed Shark, dismayed. "But I... I don't have any Number monsters! How am I supposed to destroy that thing now?!"

"You aren't," returned Yuma, his friendly smile replaced once again by his disturbing grin. "This _thing_ is supposed to destroy _you_! Now be a good little boy and end your turn, Shark!"

Shark growled, uselessly searching for some way to stop Yuma's monster. Finding none, he growled, "Even if I can't destroy that monster of yours, Jawsman is still stronger! I'll just keep on attacking with him until I draw what I need to finish you for good, Yuma!" _Of course, there is the problem that Yuma could just switch Utopia to Defense Mode,_ he thought gloomily. _But he's Yuma... and there's still a slight chance he won't realize that he can do that. __Then again, the chances of that are slim... so I might as well power up my Jawsman while I still can..._ "I activate the Spell Card, Surface! With this card, I can bring back a Level 3 or lower Fish-, Sea Serpent-, or Aqua-Type monster from my Graveyard! So I Summon back Skull Kraken in Defense Mode!"

Skull Kraken: 1600 DEF

"And now Jawsman's ability activates!" Shark cried. "Jawsman gains 300 ATK Points for every other WATER monster on my field! And I now have one other WATER monster! So Jawsman's ATK Points increase to a whopping 2900!"

Jawsman: 2900 ATK

"All right!" laughed one of the goons. "The boss is still in this!"

"I end my turn!" Shark declared.

"Not good!" spoke Bronk through clenched teeth. "Even if Utopia can't be destroyed, Jawsman is still stronger! Yuma's still going to be in for a rough fight!"

"Not at all," responded Yuma with his unnervingly calm grin. "I draw! And I attack your Jawsman with my Utopia!"

The gold-armored warrior nodded and soared toward Shark's beast.

"What?" growled Shark. "You fool! Even if Utopia can't be destroyed, he's still weaker, so you'll still take damage! And you don't really have enough Life Points left to afford it, do you, Yuma?"

"I activate Utopia's special ability!" Yuma cried, ignoring Shark altogether. "Once per turn, by using up one of its Overlay Units, I can negate an attack! So I'm negating my own!"

Number 39: Utopia: 2500 ATK (OVL: 1)

"Is your strategy to waste your monster's Overlay Units?" Shark asked unconcernedly, though inwardly he was wondering what Yuma would do next. "If so, it's working splendidly!"

"Oh, that may have just used up one of Utopia's overlay units," Yuma answered, "but I have something much bigger for you in store! I activate the Spell Card, Double or Nothing!"

"Double or Nothing?" Shark questioned worriedly. "What does that do?"

"You see, when one of my monster's attacks is negated," Yuma answered, "Double or Nothing allows that monster to attack again, except this time, that monster's ATK Points are doubled!"

"No way!" breathed Tori. "5000 ATK Points?!"

Number 39: Utopia: 5000 ATK (OVL: 1)

"Go, Utopia!" Yuma shouted, his golden aura flaring even brighter. "Destroy Jawsman with Rising Sun Ultimate Slash!"

Shark screamed, writhing as Utopia's attack flung him through the air to land painfully on his back.

Shark: 300 LP

"That attack," he whispered weakly, getting to his feet. "I felt its energy... It felt like my body was going to disintegrate... Is that... the power of a Number monster...?"

"I end my turn! And now, Utopia's ATK Points return to normal!" Yuma yelled triumphantly.

Number 39: Utopia: 2500 ATK (OVL: 1)

"But it doesn't matter," Yuma chuckled. "Your monster's already gone." He pointed a finger directly at Shark. "And you're next, Shark! I'm defeating you and taking back every Deck you stole, plus that pendant of mine! Your time is up!"

"No..." groaned Shark, attempting to straighten before collapsing onto his knees. _If __that attack was so strong, and it didn't even reduce my Life Points to __0__ yet, __if my Life Points _do_ reach 0, __I could die!_

* * *

Will Shark be able to survive Yuma's sudden surge-from-behind assault? If he loses, will he, as he suspects, indeed die? And why has Yuma suddenly grown competent? Sinister forces are at play here... Find out what's going on, next time, on Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL: Alternate Universe!


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you all for your excellent feedback! As of this writing, I have only received three reviews, and all of them seem to be positive, which does boost my confidence considerably.

To Brandon (guest) and Uchuukoismine, I can say only this: Thank you very much for your interest in this story!

As for Arlownay1991's question: Yes, Kite and Hart (I just find the English spellings easier to write) will be present in this story as usual—this story assumes that all major plot points are identical to the original ZEXAL universe, except the fact that Shark is the main character instead of Yuma—therefore, I see no reason to remove Kite or his brother from the equation, do you? Of course, the fact that Shark will be the one collecting Numbers does mean that Kite will be much more focused on him as opposed to Yuma, but such changes are to be expected when you take a series and switch out the protagonist for someone else. Basically, yes.

Also, I have a feeling that some of you will be disappointed by the lack of a certain glowing blue character in the Duel, so I will say this in advance: The presence of Astral during the Duel would have made things difficult for me later on—if Shark were to lose, Astral would fade, and we would have no story at all, but if he were to win, Astral would most likely take Yuma's Number card, and I am planning on having Yuma play a major role in the story in the future (both possessed and unpossessed), so that wouldn't work either. Essentially, Astral being present in this Duel would make it a no-win situation, with both outcomes being undesirable for the story—and for that reason only, I have neglected to make him appear during the Duel. However, rest assured, as Astral will appear at the beginning of next chapter, and that's a promise!

* * *

Disclaimer: kcreactor does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL

* * *

Chapter Two

"It's over, Shark!" Yuma stated triumphantly, smirking creepily at Shark, who was struggling to stand.

"Urgh... no..." Shark uttered defiantly, although his words could immediately be seen to be contradictory; the last attack Yuma had made had drained him considerably, and he was in no fighting state.

"What's wrong, Shark?" taunted Yuma. "Too scared to continue? Then again, you seem to have no problem calling other people chicken, like Bronk, for example, so I'll ask again, but in your language, so you can understand: Are you too _chicken_ to keep on going?"

"Chicken?" muttered Shark weakly, not reacting at all. Indeed, the offense he had taken last time Yuma had called him a chicken seemed to have all but vanished; it was as if he had forgotten what the word meant. Then his eyes refocused, and he growled at Yuma. "Did... you... just... call... me... a _chicken_?!" He arched backwards until he was facing the sky, howling, "_No one calls me a chicken!_"

"Oh?" Yuma noted, apparently quite pleased with Shark's reaction. "So you've still got some fight in you, eh, Shark? That's right... keeping on fighting your fate, Shark—keep on fighting back, so I can crush you all the more!"

Shark uttered a scream of inarticulate rage, whipping around to face Yuma, his face contorted into a sneer every bit as terrifying as Yuma's grin. "It's my move! I draw!" He took one look at the card he had drawn and nearly snorted. _Shark Lair? That's worse than useless __right now, __what with his Utopia being so strong__..._ Instead, he slammed another card onto his Duel Disk. "I Summon Drill Barnacle in Attack Mode!"

A strange pink squid with drill-like appendages emerging from its upper body appeared on the field.

Drill Barnacle: 300 ATK

"Now I overlay my Level 3 Drill Barnacle and Skull Kraken!" Shark shouted. "With these two monsters, I can build the Overlay Network and Xyz Summon... Submersible Carrier Aeroshark!"

The same monster that had taken out Bronk a few days earlier appeared soaring through the air, with the same strange appearance—two machine-like sharks connected by several metal shafts.

Submersible Carrier Aeroshark: 1000 DEF (OVL: 2)

"Even though my Aeroshark is in Defense Mode," Shark spoke, "he can still deal you some serious damage with his special ability! By removing one Overlay Unit, I can hit you with 400 points of direct damage for every card in my hand! And I have two cards, so that adds up to a solid 800 damage, Yuma!"

Submersible Carrier Aeroshark: 1000 DEF (OVL: 1)

"Not good!" gasped Bronk.

"Oh, no!" whispered Tori.

"Heh, yeah!" shouted one of Shark's friends. "The boss is makin' a comeback!"

But Yuma hardly flinched as the attack struck him, merely standing in place. In fact, Shark could have sworn his grin actually widened as the damage hit.

Yuma: 200 LP

Shark gritted his teeth. _I take major damage from attacks, but he doesn't feel anything? How is that supposed to be fair?!_

"Too bad, Shark," said Yuma, seemingly reading his mind. "The power to inflict real damage... That's the power of a Number. And as you said yourself, you don't have one! So none of that real damage business for you!" He smirked. "And that's a good thing, too, or you'd go on an even worse bullying spree, wouldn't you, Shark? That's right. I know you. You're the worst kind of scum ever to walk this earth. People like you should be wiped out, eradicated from existence. Don't worry, Shark. You won't be the only one to fall—just the first. I intend to make every other bully I know pay—just like you!"

"Yuma's getting worse," noted Tori, her face tight with worry.

"Well, at least he's got spirit," Bronk joked, attempting to lighten the mood. "And the skills to back it up, too..." he added as an afterthought.

"Not funny, Bronk," Tori retorted, scowling.

Meanwhile, Yuma continued his rant. "Anyway, let's get back to the Duel at hand, shall we, Shark? You've made your move, and now it's my turn to do some damage! So why don't you hurry up and end your turn, huh? The quicker this gets done, the better."

"You're crazy," grimaced Shark. He looked down at his hand, but after what seemed an eternity of looking, he had to agree that he had no more moves to make. He finally settled on one card in his hand. _This might come in handy..._ "I place one card face-down and end my turn!"

"Excellent," said Yuma, his face lowering until half of it was shrouded in shadows. The "39" on his hand was still glowing brightly, and his golden aura seemed to have expanded in radius. "It's my move! I draw!" He took one look at the card he had drawn and smirked. "It's over, Shark. I Summon to the field, Dododo Warrior, in Attack Mode!"

A large fighter holding an axe and a shield appeared on the field, vaguely resembling a Viking.

Dododo Warrior: 2300 ATK

"What?" Shark wondered aloud. "That's a Level 6 monster... how did you Summon it?!"

"Through Dododo Warrior's special ability!" Yuma shouted proudly. "I can Normal Summon Dododo Warrior without Tributing, but then my Warrior's ATK Points are reduced to 1800."

Dododo Warrior: 1800 ATK

"But that hardly matters at all," Yuma chuckled. "Since you were a finalist at the nationals, Shark, I'm sure you understand that you're at a huge disadvantage right now—namely, because I have two monsters on my side of the field and you have only one." He gestured at Shark's monster, then at his own two. "Because of this imbalance, I can have one monster attack and wipe out your monster, and then I'll still have another monster, ready to attack directly. Now, normally this wouldn't be a problem, because you'll usually have enough Life Points to survive a single direct hit. But with both of our Life Points so low, Shark, it basically comes down to whoever striking the first blow winning. And I'm going to strike that blow right now!"

Shark felt a surge of hope. Was Yuma actually going to do it? If he could just survive this turn, then he could use Aeroshark's ability to finish Yuma off... But the question was, would Yuma fall for it?

"Dododo Warrior, attack!" shouted Yuma. "Destroy his Submersible Carrier Aeroshark with Crushing Axe Blow!"

The big warrior made a grunt of agreement before jumping into the air with surprising agility, axe raised above its head to strike down Shark's monster.

"Wrong, Yuma!" Shark interrupted, his voice heavy with relief. "I'm going to be activating my Trap Card: Final Offering! With this card, I can select a card in my hand and give it to you in order to immediately end the Battle Phase! Of course, I wouldn't normally do this—giving a card to an opponent is a steep price to pay—but I'd say this is better than the alternative, wouldn't you, Yuma?"

"Why, you—" Yuma growled. "Resilient, aren't you, Shark?"

"I'd say so, yes!" answered Shark. "And since I have only one card in my hand, Yuma, the choice is obvious! I'm giving you the Spell Card, Shark Lair, Yuma!" _Looks like Shark Lair was useful, after all..._

"Shark Lair?" scowled Yuma, clearly disappointed at not being able to finish Shark off. "What's that do?"

"Something I'm sure you'll love," Shark chuckled. "Shark Lair is a Continuous Spell that can only be activated by sending a Fish-Type monster from your hand to the Graveyard. Then, all monsters with lower ATK Points than the monster you sent can't attack! But, of course, you don't have any Fish-Type monsters, do you, Yuma?"

Yuma frowned angrily. _Damn... __He stopped my attack like it was nothing__—__and gave me a __useless card in return! __He's good... No wonder he made it to __the nationals finals... __No matter. I'll just finish him off next turn... provided his Aeroshark doesn't finish _me_ off!_ "I place two cards face-down and end my turn!"

"Then it's my turn!" Shark snarled. _I have to beat him this turn... __or else his Utopia will finish _me_! __And since any damage that monster inflicts is real... I could be gone for good!_ "I draw! You know what that means, right, Yuma?" He smirked. "I activate Submersible Carrier Aeroshark's special ability!"

Submersible Carrier Aeroshark: 1000 DEF (OVL: 0)

"And since I just drew a card," Shark continued, "I now have one card in my hand, which translates to 400 points of damage for you! And that means you're done for, Yuma!"

"Oh, no!" cried Tori, looking ready to run to Yuma.

"This is bad," agreed Bronk, his expression grave.

Yuma inclined his head, his face unreadable. Then he raised his right hand. "Wrong, Shark! I activate my middle face-down: Half Shield! With this card, all damage I take this turn is halved!"

"That's still not enough!" cried Shark.

"Wrong again!" Yuma declared. "I activate my leftmost face-down: Damage Diet! Now all Effect Damage I would take this turn is halved again!"

"He's going to make it!" called Bronk relievedly.

"Now," Yuma smirked, "your 400 points of damage is reduced to a mere 100, granting me just enough Life Points to survive! I told you, Shark, I won't lose to a bully like you!"

Yuma: 100 LP

"Damn!" muttered Shark. He looked down at his hand, and at the card he had just drawn. _I was banking on Aeroshark's special ability—so any card from my Deck would have done the trick—or so I thought... __But since that didn't work out, __what card I actually _drew_ just became far more important... and it looks like my Deck came through for me... __But this maneuver will __be tricky..._ He inwardly scowled. He was now at the mercy of his Deck—being forced to rely on every draw he made, especially because of his low hand size—basically, it all came down to the luck of the draw.

And Shark didn't like that. He didn't like it one bit. Being forced to rely on luck and chance—it was never his style—and besides, that sort of dueling was little more than gambling—there was little to no skill involved, and the stakes were far too high in this particular Duel for him to be gambling like this.

Nevertheless, there was little he could actually do to change it, so he simply accepted that his Deck had saved him this time and hoped that it could do it again in the future. He just needed one more turn—one more measly turn to survive—and he would be able to turn this Duel around. "I place one monster face-down in Defense Mode and end my turn!"

A face-down card appeared, but unlike the face-down Spells and Traps both Duelists had placed earlier in the Duel, this one was sideways, signifying that the monster was in Defense Mode.

"Relying on defense now, huh, Shark?" shouted Yuma, the evil look on his face still present. "You're done for!"

Shark concentrated on Yuma's monsters. _My plan __needs Yuma to make it work—__more precisely, it needs Yuma to attack my face-down monster first, and it needs him to use Dododo Warrior to do it. __The likelihood of it playing out that way exactly is slim, __but thematically, it does make sense... He would want to destroy my ace monster with his own, right? __And __that leaves his other monster—Dododo Warrior—to do __the heavy lifting and destroy my face-down, right? __And he would most likely want to make Utopia's attack the last attack for the turn... __so _if_ I'm right, this could work out for me... __Of course, that's a lot of if's..._

"My turn!" Yuma yelled. "I draw!" He smirked. "And I'm going to attack your face-down monster with Dododo Warrior!"

Shark's heart skipped a beat. _Yes!_

The face-down card flipped face-up as Yuma's monster leapt toward it, revealing the monster hiding underneath: a strange-looking orange fish... Friller Rabca.

Friller Rabca: 1500 DEF

"Hah!" Yuma shouted. "That monster of yours can't stand up to the might of Dododo Warrior! Dododo Warrior, slice that monster of his into sushi!"

The fish quickly burst into glowing yellow particles and disintegrated.

"Uh-oh!" cried one of Shark's goons. "The boss is losing again!"

Finally losing his patience, Shark snapped, "Will you two shut up!"

Both boys quickly jumped backwards and stuttered, "Uh, y-yeah! S-sorry, Sh-Shark!"

"Being a bully can be taxing, can't it, Shark?" Yuma asked softly, his mouth curving upward amusedly. "For example, your subordinates are just never up to par, intelligence-wise, are they?"

Shark's goons jumped to their feet. "What did you just call us, punk?!"

Shark flashed a look of warning, causing them to immediately stumble back and start babbling apologies again.

"That's right, Shark," Yuma continued, his eyes locked on Shark's two lackeys. "Being a bully's not all it's cracked up to be. I only wish you'd realized that earlier... That way, I wouldn't have to destroy you!" And suddenly, his crazy grin came back full force. "But it's too late, isn't it, Shark? You're a goner! Utopia, attack! Destroy his Submersible Carrier Aeroshark once and for all with Rising Sun Slash!"

The gold-and-white warrior leapt into the air, sword held high up, ready to perfectly bisect Shark's monster.

"Yuma!" Shark snarled. "I don't think so! I activate my Friller Rabca's special ability from my Graveyard!"

"You _what_?!" Yuma exclaimed in astonishment.

"To tell the truth, Yuma," Shark spoke, "you had me on the edge for a while there. I must say, I'm impressed. But your overconfidence caused you to underestimate me, and now you've fallen straight into my trap! You see, my plan needed _you_ to make it work—it needed _you_ to act as I thought you would act, and you played right into my hands! I was relying on you to attack my Friller Rabca first, and to do it with Dododo Warrior—because only then could I do _this_! Go, Friller Rabca!"

A ghostly afterimage of Shark's destroyed monster reappeared and zoomed toward Yuma's golden-white warrior.

"What is this?!" Yuma shouted in rage, the number "39" on his arm glowing white.

"You see," Shark continued, "Friller Rabca's special ability requires it to be in my Graveyard—and you were so kind as to put it there for me! Now, by banishing this monster from my Graveyard, I can negate your Utopia's attack—but that's not all: Not only is your attack negated, but your monster loses 500 ATK Points!"

"Not good!" muttered Bronk frantically, his eyes seemingly glued to the Duel Field.

Shark's monster collided with Yuma's, causing a huge explosion from which the gold-clad warrior stumbled blindly out of, seemingly stunned.

Number 39: Utopia: 2000 ATK (OVL: 1)

"Utopia!" Yuma shouted, genuine alarm flashing over his face. The glowing golden aura surrounding him seemed to flicker for a moment, as did the "39" on his hand—but they quickly flickered back to full intensity, and Yuma's expression returned to that strange smirk he wore ever since Utopia had been Summoned. The transformation, however, was so brief, that no one noticed it.

Muttering with annoyance, Yuma placed a card face-down and spoke, "I end my turn."

"Then it's my turn!" Shark responded. His right hand drifted to the top of his Deck. _Come on..._ "I... draw!" His hand latched on to the top card and slowly slid it off. Flipping it face-up so he could see it, Shark grinned as soon as he saw the card he had drawn. _A two-for-one trade-off, huh?_ he thought. _Not bad..._

"I activate the Spell Card, Xyz Gift!" he shouted out to no one in particular. "And it's really thanks to you, Yuma!" he smirked. "You see, I can only activate this card when there are two or more Xyz Monsters on the field! As you can see," he motioned, "I have one... and _you_ have the other."

"Grr!" Yuma yelled out in frustration. "Shark! Stop using me for your own purposes!"

"That'll only happen if you stop being so helpful," responded Shark with a grin. "And now, let me tell you what this card does! When there are two or more Xyz Monsters on the field, I get to draw two cards! Pretty nice combo, wouldn't you say, Yuma?"

He closed his eyes. _Come on..._ His hand grasped onto the first card. _One..._ Then the second card. _Two! __Okay, now let's see what I've got..._ He opened his eyes. And did a double take. _What?! __Impossible! The chances of me getting those two exact cards..._

He blinked. Maybe that King of Games guy—Yugi what's-his-face—was right. Maybe there _was_ a heart of cards. Or maybe it was just dumb luck. But whatever it was, Shark couldn't help but let out a laugh. Momentarily forgetting that this Duel had serious stakes, forgetting that Utopia could inflict real damage, forgetting the circumstances and the events that had led up to this Duel—Shark ignored all of it and focused on the fact that _this_ was the feeling he loved—the feeling he had felt during the nationals—the feeling he had always had before his sister Rio got injured—the feeling of pure joy, just from _dueling_. The feeling of having a strong opponent before him, the Duel going back and forth between them, back and forth, back and forth—then—

_Rio!_

Everything flooded back—Yuma's strange transformation, his sudden skill and competence, and most of all: His Number monster—which was capable of inflicting real damage. If Shark lost the Duel, this would mean much more than just the loss of a Duel—it would mean the loss of his _life_. This was no practice Duel—this wasn't even one of Shark's regular Duels with the people whose Decks he took—this was something far more grave. _And I can't ever forget that—it doesn't matter how _I_ feel, it _matters_ that I _can't_ lose this Duel! I have to keep going and beat Quattro! I can't lose here—not to Yuma—because Rio still needs me!_

"What's taking so long?" Yuma inquired mockingly. "Run out of luck, Shark? Time to give up maybe?" His inhumane smirk widened maliciously. The "39" on the back of his hand pulsed ominously.

But none of that mattered to Shark right now. What mattered was that he was going to _win_ this Duel—and he was going to keep on winning until he got to Quattro—until he could get revenge for his little sister Rio.

"Oh, I'm not giving up," he heard himself say. "And I haven't run out of luck, either. In fact, you might say—I make my own luck! I activate the Spell Card, Burial From a Different Dimension! With this card, I can return up to three banished monsters to their owner's respective Graveyards! But I'm only going to returning _one_ monster, not three—and that monster is Friller Rabca!"

"That thing again!" cried Bronk.

"Oh no!" cried Tori.

"Next I switch my Submersible Carrier Aeroshark into Attack Mode!"

Submersible Carrier Aeroshark: 1900 ATK (OVL: 0)

Shark smiled. _Normally, I would never try something __like this, __because Yuma's face-down cards are probably __Trap Cards, and dangerous ones at that... __But thanks to _this_ draw, I feel confident that I can win!_

"You're probably thinking that I'm going to attack your Dododo Warrior, now, Yuma." Shark smirked. "Well, I'm not one to disappoint! But first, I'm activating the Spell Card Mystical Space Typhoon! With it, I can destroy one Spell or Trap Card on the field!" Shark narrowed his eyes. _I have to choose carefully... __But __wait!__H__e's never used that rightmost one of his... So it stands __to reason that that one has been useless in all the situations thus far... __Therefore, __that middle face-down __is more of an unknown... __and therefore, more dangerous... __It's settled. I'll destroy his middle face-down card._

"Go, Mystical Space Typhoon!" Shark declared. "Destroy that middle face-down of his! Lightning Whirlwind!"

Yuma scowled as his Battle Break was swept away.

"Battle Break, huh?" Shark smirked. "That could've been dangerous. Good thing I got rid of it first, huh, Yuma?"

Yuma's scowl deepened. _Damn it... after all of this... he's going to win!_

"Go, Submersible Carrier Aeroshark! Attack Dododo Warrior with Shark Fang!"

"Not so fast, Shark!" cried Yuma. "I activate my other face-down: Half Unbreak!"

"Half Unbreak?" breathed Shark. "What does that do?"

"When a monster you control attacks a monster I control," Yuma explained, "my monster can't be destroyed by that battle, and I only take half the damage!"

Yuma: 50 LP

"You're a persistent little brat, aren't you?" Shark said angrily.

"I could say the same about you!" retorted Yuma hotly.

"Grr!" Shark's eyes flashed. "I end my turn!"

"Then it's my turn!" Yuma yelled. "I draw!" _He obviously wants me to attack with Utopia, __so then he can activate Friller Rabca's special ability __and make my Utopia weaker than his monster... __That's not going to happen!_

"I switch Dododo Warrior to Defense Mode! Next, I place a card face-down and end my turn!"

"Yuma's really holding his own out there, isn't he, Bronk?" Tori said, smiling, although she still looked slightly worried.

"Yeah, there has been a fair bit of back and forth during this Duel," Bronk agreed, "and considering Shark's place at the nationals, that really is impressive. But what I'm worried about isn't the Duel... It's the fact that Yuma just doesn't seem himself."

Shark gritted his teeth. _He didn't attack..._ "I draw!" He looked down. _Yes!_ "I activate the Spell Card, Salvage! Now I can add two WATER monsters with 1500 or less ATK Points from my Graveyard to my hand! So I'm fetching back Skull Kraken and Drill Barnacle!" His Duel Disk whirred for a few moments before spitting out two cards. Shark snatched them back. "Next, I Summon out Drill Barnacle in Attack Mode! Welcome back, old friend!"

The drill-like squid reappeared on the field and whirred menacingly at Yuma.

Drill Barnacle: 300 ATK

"Now I activate my Barnacle's special ability!" sneered Shark. "I know I didn't use it last time Drill Barnacle was out and about, so let me explain: Drill Barnacle is allowed to attack you directly!"

"He's _what_?" Yuma cried out.

"Not good!" yelled Bronk.

"Oh, yeah!" cried one of Shark's goons. "It took a while, but the boss is finally going to crush this guy!"

"Drill Barnacle!" Shark cried out. "Go! Attack Yuma directly and finish this Duel!"

The squid floated lazily towards Yuma, its many drill-like appendages whirring at high speed.

"I activate my Trap!" Yuma declared. "Magic Cylinder! Now your monster's attack is negated, and you take damage equal to its ATK Points!"

"What?!" exclaimed Shark. "No! I can't lose! NO! Stop it!" He quickly hid behind his arms in preparation for the pain that he knew was coming. _I'm... sorry, Rio... I've... failed you..._

Shark: 0 LP

"Wait... huh?" Shark looked up. The holograms were fading, all evidence that the Duel had occurred being erased. "There was... no pain..."

"Che." Yuma looked contemptuous, his aura and "39" still flaring brightly. "Of course not. Only Numbers can inflict real damage. So you're safe this time. But you're going to lose for real next time, Shark, believe it or not! I'm going to defeat you and destroy you! I'm going to reform every single bully in Heartland City!" He held out his hand. "Now pay up! You made a deal, remember?"

Shark groaned, getting to his feet. "Okay..." he muttered, extremely relieved inwardly. "You win, Yuma. A deal's a deal."

"Good." The number "39" on Yuma's hand slowly faded, as did the darkish-golden aura surrounding him. Then, his eyes glazed over and suddenly cleared, as though he had just woken up from a trance. "H-hey? What's going on? Why's our Duel over?"

"Yuma!"

"Huh?" Yuma turned around to see Tori and Bronk running towards him.

"Yuma!" Tori called out. "You won! You won against Shark!"

Yuma looked more confused than ever. "I-I did?"

"That's right, you did," muttered Shark boredly. "And with your attitude right now, I'm wondering how it ever happened. But, a deal's a deal. I'll give all the stolen Decks back."

Yuma blinked, then broke into a sudden grin. "Awesome! Hey, Shark! You know, you're not such a bad guy after all!"

"Whatever." Shark brushed him off. "It'll take too long finding everyone today, so I'll give everyone their Decks back on Monday. But since you're already here, Bronk..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a familiar-looking stack of cards. "Here."

"Wow!" Bronk exclaimed, looking through his cards happily. "Thanks, Shark! They're all still in perfect condition, too!"

"Of course," Shark sneered contemptuously. "I may take Decks, but I don't ruin them. Don't take me for some sort of savage." He began walking off, beckoning to his two goons. "Well, Yuma. You're not half-bad, although you don't seem to remember half of our Duel. See you around." And with that, he stalked off, his two lackeys scurrying in his wake.

"Shark," Yuma whispered, staring after him. "Somehow I have a feeling he's a pretty good guy at heart." Then he looked down at his chest and jumped. "Ah! I forgot! My pendant! Did he keep it? No! Hey! Shark! Wait up!"

But Shark was already gone.

* * *

As the dramatic Duel between Yuma and Shark draws to a close, Yuma suddenly returns to normal, having no memory of what happened while he was entranced! Why is this? Does Yuma only become possessed when he Duels? Or it is some other, more sinister determining factor? And why did Shark not return Yuma's pendant? Was it simply that he forgot, or was it something else that made him keep it? Find out what's going on, next time, on Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL: Alternate Universe!


	3. Chapter 3

Apologies for the slow update time, as I was dealing with real life issues at the time. Again, I thank you all for your continued support. Your feedback is appreciated. Much thanks in particular to Brandon (guest) and Arlownay1991, who have been here since the very first chapter (and while I realize that isn't much, it is still greatly appreciated).

In reply to Guest (guest): Yes, I can see why you would want Shark to win, and I briefly toyed with the idea as well; moreover, it would have given me an excuse to let Shark keep Yuma's pendant. On the other hand, Bronk would never have gotten his Deck back, and while it can be argued that the pendant is far more central to the plot than Bronk's Deck, I plan to have Bronk play a key role in the story later on, and it simply won't do to have him sink into a depression because he doesn't have his Deck. In any case, I think I wrote the Duel in such a way that either outcome would have been believable, but since Shark is the main character, he can't afford to be so overpowered at the very beginning, or the story would simply be him beating people the whole time—which I personally don't believe is very interesting. Besides, Yuma was possessed by a Number, and plot-wise, Shark _shouldn't_ be able to beat a Number holder that early in the story—it just wouldn't work that way due to power-scaling. Rest assured; he will grow as the story progresses, both as a Duelist and as a person, and he and Yuma will have a rematch!

Also, in case anyone was wondering: I am aware that Shark's lackeys leave him in canon after he loses to Yuma, but I figured that since Shark is portrayed as having utter control over them in the story, it's just as believable for them to stay with him instead of leaving. And I'm sorry to have to use this excuse a third time, but I need them for the plot—or rather, Shark needs friends to do his dirty work while he himself handles more important matters—much like Yuma's gang in canon. This of course means that I will be giving them names because I doubt it would be very enjoyable for either me or my readers to keep on having to refer to them as "the lackey on the left" or "the other goon", etc.

And as a final note: As promised, Astral does appear in this chapter, so without further ado, let's jump right in!

* * *

Disclaimer: kcreactor does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL

* * *

Chapter Three

"Hey, boss," Shark's rightmost lackey questioned. "What are you gonna do now? That Yuma kid humiliated you in public... You're not gonna let him get away with that, are you?"

"Yeah, that's right," chimed in the lackey on the left. "When are you gonna challenge Yuma to a rematch?"

"Not any time soon, Jose," Shark answered, teeth gritted. "That Yuma... there's something about him that makes me think he's... different. Until I know I have the ability to defeat him," he clenched his right hand into a fist, "I won't go rushing recklessly in."

"But—but boss," cried Jose. "You're just gonna let it go—? That doesn't sound like you, boss..."

"I never said I was going to let it go," snapped Shark. "I only said that I wasn't going to rush in recklessly. Did you two not see his Number card? That thing's strong."

"But boss!" Shark's rightmost lackey joined in again. "But surely he's not strong enough to stop you, right? What happened today was just a fluke! And now that you know Yuma's style and the sorts of things his Deck can do—"

"Do you think I don't _know_ that already, Franz?" Shark retorted, losing his patience. "I _know_ that if I challenge him again, I'll have a better chance than the first time. But with the amount of back and forth that Duel had... I don't want to risk it quite yet. After all," he mused, "Yuma knows my style now, too."

"Risk it?" asked Jose. "Risk what, boss?"

Shark smirked. "Since you two seem too stupid to realize, I'll tell you. That monster of his... it's not any normal monster. Judging by your looks of confusion, you must not have been paying too much attention to Yuma, am I right?"

He was met with two identical expressions of tell-tale shame.

"That's what I thought," he continued. "That Number of his... It can inflict _real_ damage. And that means _real_ injury. And _that_, in turn, means bad things for me if I were to lose to him again. And not only that," he elucidated, "Yuma said that his Number had a special ability—it can't be destroyed in battle except by other Number monsters. I'm sure you know what that means: There are more Numbers out there. And I need to prepare myself, in order to get a jump-start on everyone else. If I'm going to duel Yuma or another Number user again, I need to be equipped to deal with them."

"Ohh," Franz said, realization dawning on his face. "You're being _cautious_."

"It took you long enough to figure that out," Shark snapped. "Now come on." They walked a few more steps, when Shark suddenly stopped again. "On second thought... Jose, Franz. I need some time alone to think. You two hurry up and go ahead of me. I'll catch up with you later."

"Uh, sure thing, boss!" And the two goons scurried off ahead.

Meanwhile, Shark reached into his Deck holster and lifted out his trusty stack of cards—cards that had never failed him once—except today. He riffled through them, eyes flicking through each one of them in turn. _I need a plan... A plan to beat Yuma and any other Numbers that I'm unfortunate enough to come across. __But what card in my Deck can beat them? __Black Ray Lancer can negate their ability to not be destroyed... __Splash Capture can help me take control of them as well. __But that's only two cards... __And in an entire Deck, __two cards aren't enough. __I can't always expect to draw two Level 3 monsters __or Splash Capture, and even if I do, there's __no guarantee I can get them onto the field and keep them there long enough to use the__m. __Numbers... __Well, there's always that saying. "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." __...I'm going to need to get a Number of my own. A Number..._

And suddenly, Yuma's pendant started glowing again. Shark looked downward, surprised. _Huh? Oh, yeah. Yuma's pendant. I must have forgotten to give it back... But what's this glow?_

And suddenly, without warning, a jet of blue light shot out of the pendant, causing a flash of energy that nearly blinded Shark. He yelped, involuntarily jumping backwards, blinking flashes out of his eyes.

After his vision recovered from the light, he blinked one more time, just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. Before him... was a glowing blue figure, who seemed to be completely unclothed...

Shark yelped again, jumping backwards and covering his eyes.

Then, the figure spoke. "What are you doing?"

"Huh?" Shark slowly uncovered his eyes... and noticed that the strange being had no genitalia. _Well, that'__s__ w__e__ird..._ "Who are you?"

"My name is Astral," the figure replied, drifting lazily above the ground. "But I'm afraid I don't remember much more than that."

"You don't remember?" Shark wondered. _Here I am, talking to what could very well be a hallucination._ He was struck by a mad urge to laugh, but quashed it immediately. "Well, you remembered your name... Astral, was it? Is there anything else you _do_ remember?"

"Anything I do remember..." the so-called "Astral" mused, still floating. "Yes!" he suddenly exclaimed. "I remember that I am a Duelist!"

"You're... a Duelist?" Shark repeated, completely dumbfounded. "So... you duel." _Is this guy for real? __That is, if he's real in the first place..._

"I sense skepticism in your voice," Astral stated matter-of-factly. "But I assure you, I am indeed a Duelist. And that in turn means that, yes, I do duel."

"Okay," Shark said, deciding to humor the strange figure. "Let's say, for the sake of argument, that you do duel. What cards do you use?"

"Hmm..." Astral pondered, stroking his chin. "Let's see..." After several moments, he looked down in disappointment. "I... I am afraid I do not know..."

"You don't know," Shark repeated mockingly. "Well, that's really convincing me that you're a Duelist." _Why am I arguing with this guy, anyway? __How do I know he's even real? And if he is, why should I care whether or not he's a Duelist, anyway?_

"I _am_ a Duelist!" Astral insisted indignantly. "Now please be quiet! I am trying to think." And with that, he directed his gaze somewhere above and to the left of Shark, apparently deeply considering something.

"...Right," muttered Shark. He took a few steps away from the glowing blue humanoid. "Well, you have fun with that." Then he turned and started walking away.

He had not gone ten steps when a familiar voice called from behind him: "Wait! I remember!" Shark turned around to see Astral flying towards him, a look of pride etched on his glowing features. "I remember the cards that I use!"

"Okay," Shark spoke impatiently. "But before you tell me, I want to know something: Why are you following me?"

"Hmm?" Astral seemed confused by the question momentarily. "Why am I following you?" he repeated to himself. "Why, indeed?"

Shark was on the verge of leaving yet again when the blue figure called out, "Wait! I know the answer!"

Astral flew next to Shark, pointing at the golden key hanging innocently from the purple-haired teen's neck. "It is that key," he said. "I think I am unable to venture too great a distance from that key."

Shark looked down at the pendant. "Yuma's pendant again," he growled frustratedly. _All of these problems started up when I took Yuma's pendant. __That was a big mistake... __I'll give the pendant back to him as soon as possible on Monday. Whoever this "Astral" person is, Yuma can deal with him. __I'm sick of him already._

"Also," Astral continued proudly, "I was able to recall what sort of cards I use."

"Yeah, yeah," Shark answered boredly, turning away.

"I use Number cards!" Astral finished.

"Mm-hm, cool story—wait, what?!" Shark whipped his head around to look directly at Astral, his eyes wide. "You use Numbers?! How? Where? Do you have one right now?"

"I am afraid not," answered Astral, a bit sadly, in Shark's opinion. "After some deep analysis, I have come to the conclusion that the Number cards are fragments of my memory, having been scattered and lost when I came to this world—but alas, I am afraid I have no idea where they are now."

"Wait," Shark questioned. "Did you say Numbers make up your _memory_?"

"Yes," Astral replied. "And deep inside, I think that I have been entrusted with a mission of great importance—but I cannot remember. I _must_ reacquire all of the Numbers in order to remember my mission and successfully carry it out. You seem to hold some familiarity with the Numbers, do you not? What is your name?"

"Me? I'm Reginald Kastle," Shark declared proudly, "better known as 'Shark'! Know that you are talking to a finalist at the nationals right now!"

"Ah," Astral said. "Then is it all right if I call you 'Shark'?"

"Sure," Shark said dismissively, "everyone calls me that nowadays. But wait—" His eyes snapped back to Astral. "You were talking about the Number cards. I need to know more." He clenched his hands into fists. _I need to get a Number to protect myself from other Number holders... And more importantly, to give myself an edge against Quattro..._

"Yes," Astral answered mournfully. "I need to acquire all of the Numbers to complete my mission..." He looked at Shark, eyes hopeful. "Will you help me acquire the Numbers?"

Shark blinked. "You're asking... me?" _Yes!_ He felt like dancing inwardly—if it weren't for the fact that that wasn't his style. _I now have a supernatural being at my side—a being who has inside information __about the very cards I seek to obtain—__I can't let this opportunity slide! __I have to do this for Rio... __I have to give myself as many advantages as possible..._ He heard himself say as nonchalantly as possible, "Yeah, sure, I don't mind helping you out."

"Excellent," Astral said briskly. "It is decided, then. We will be partners in this venture. Together... we shall acquire the Numbers, you and I!"

_Yes,_ Shark thought in his mind, laughing silently. _Yes, we shall, _partner_,_ he thought. This was going to be too easy.

* * *

"What's going on?!" swore Shark, sitting impatiently on his motorcycle. "This traffic has never been worse!"

"It appears that the traffic lights are malfunctioning," Astral intoned helpfully, floating slightly above Shark's right shoulder.

"I _know_ that," snapped Shark irritably. "What I want to know is, _why_?! All the traffic lights are digitally controller from a remote server, and as far as I know, the program controlling the lights is bug-free—ever since this new system has been installed, we haven't had a single malfunction! In other words, this incident is _unprecedented_! And besides, this traffic is slowing me down—and that's ruining my day!"

"In my experience," Astral advised, "expressing anger and displeasure verbally does little to change to situation that caused that anger or displeasure in the first place."

"Shut up!" Shark growled. "I don't know how it is for whatever species _you're_ part of, but for humans, it's healthy to let out our anger!"

"Observation number one," Astral noted. "Some humans are quicker to anger than others, and tend to act more rashly, or recklessly."

"_Shut up!_"

"I am simply stating what I perceive to be a nuance of the human species," Astral stated, his tone of voice making it apparent that he was doing whatever _his_ species' equivalent of shrugging was.

"Yeah, well, stop," retorted Shark, "because it's getting annoying!"

"Is that so?" Astral was unrepentant. "If so, please accept my apologies, Shark... However, after closer analysis, I do believe that your suggestion has merit."

"What?" Shark turned around to look at Astral. "My suggestion? I don't remember suggesting _anything_!"

"I disagree. You said that you wished to know what was going on. I agree. If this system is, as you say, _unprecedented_, then this incident is most disturbing. Clearly, something more than mere coincidence is occurring. I wish to find out why."

Shark groaned. "I was using a _figure of speech_! Don't they have those where you come from?"

"It is an occurrence that is most intriguing to me," Astral continued, ignoring Shark. "It is something that could only have been caused... by a Number."

At this, Shark finally swung around to give Astral his full attention. "A Number, you say? But how would that work?" he asked.

"Simple," Astral replied. "I am led to believe that my mission required some... _unique_ capabilities, if you will—specifically, the ability to possess humans."

"Wait—" Shark choked. "You can _possess_ people?!"

"Yes, quite easily, as a matter of fact," Astral agreed casually. "And because these Numbers are fragments of my being, it stands to reason that they hold this ability as well. It could very well be that some unsuspecting human has somehow obtained a Number and has subsequently been possessed by it and coerced into doing whatever it is his or her deepest desires reflect."

"Deepest desires?" Shark wondered. "What does that mean?"

"Simple. I, in my full form, am able to completely take over a human's mind and body, in order to act as them fully. However, Numbers, holding a mere shard of my complete, unadulterated power, are unable to do this. Instead, they merely act upon their victims' preexisting desires and beliefs, amplifying them to an unreal extent, such that the persons they possess will go to unnatural lengths to achieve what they want—lengths that they would normally never even consider."

"So," Shark mused aloud, "that means that—" His eyes widened. _Yuma! He had the mark of a Number on the back of his hand... And he kept on shouting about how he would "eradicate" bullies and stuff like that... Could that have been the Number influencing his thoughts?_

"In any case," Astral concluded, "I believe that this incident merits investigation."

Shark considered this. _The chance to obtain a Number, huh? ...This is too good to pass up._ "All right. So how should we begin?"

* * *

Yuma sat in his room, head in his hands. _Ugh... why? _Why_ can't I remember what happened? __Everyone said that I beat Shark... and while I am happy about getting Bronk's Deck back, __I don't remember _how_ I supposedly beat him... __From the last I recall of that Duel, I was losing pretty badly... how did I manage to turn things around? And _why_ can't I remember! __Arrggh!_

He suddenly shot up straight, a fist landing on his desk. That nagging thought was one that simply wouldn't go away. He had to find out... one way or another.

And he still had to find out where that strange card had come from, too... the red-and-black-haired boy flipped open the box on his hip that contained his Deck, fishing out a black-bordered card that he had definitely not possessed before the Duel and looking over its text for the umpteenth time.

He felt himself unconsciously saying the name out loud: "Number 39: Utopia..." It gave him a strange feeling just looking at the card.

"...What are you?"

"Yuma!" His sister, Kari, stomped into his room without even knocking. "Your friends are over! Supposedly, they want to talk to you about something 'strange' happening at the park... If it's anything actually newsworthy, I want you to tell me about it _immediately_ so I can write it up, do you understand?"

Yuma's ears perked up. "Something strange? At the park?"

"Yeah," answered his sister. "But they wouldn't tell me what, and as I've told you before, I don't have time sorting through hundreds of tips to find out if they're duds or not. That's what I've got you for. So your job is going to be—"

"Sorry, Kari!" Yuma interrupted, already running out of the room. "I have to get going, talk to you later!"

Kari blinked before shaking her head exasperatedly. "That child... Will he never learn to show some respect? Ah..." she sighed, turning away. "I just hope he remembers to tell me if that 'strange' thing is any good for my paper." With a final glance of distaste at Yuma's indisputably messy room, she did an about-face and left, heading off to her own room-office hybrid to do some more work.

Meanwhile, Yuma thudded down the stairs heavily, running to meet his friends and discuss what exactly had happened on that day... At the very least, even if neither of his two friends could tell him exactly what had happened and why, Bronk could at least recount the Duel for him and tell him how he had won, what sort of strategies he had used, etc.

As he skid off the last step of the stairs and took an immediate right towards the living room, Tori was the first to notice him. A smile graced her face as she called out to her friend: "Yuma!"

Bronk quickly turned and saw the spiky-haired boy as well, waving from the sofa. "Hey, Yuma! What's up?"

Yuma quickly slowed to a stop as he neared the two, sitting down on the sofa opposite his friends. "Hey, guys! Nothing much has been happening lately with me... but what about you?"

"Ah, nothing," Bronk muttered. "But why weren't you at school today?"

Yuma suddenly looked very interested in his the design of his shoes. "Uh, I... I wasn't feeling very well today," he lied.

"And you're feeling better now?" asked Bronk, looking disbelieving.

"Well, yeah. That's what happened!" answered Yuma, unable to completely repress his urge to cut straight to the chase. "Now let's get to the real topic! Kari said that you guys wanted to talk about what happened at the park, right?"

"Well... yeah," answered Tori shamefacedly.

"Huh? What's with the long face?" Yuma asked.

"Well, uh... the thing is, Yuma..." Bronk began uncomfortably.

"Yes?" demanded the spiky-haired boy impatiently.

"I don't know how to say this, buddy, but, uh... you weren't really acting... well, very _Yuma-ish_ during that Duel," Bronk finished.

"Very 'Yuma-ish'?" asked the said person. "I don't follow."

"You were acting, well... _scary_," supplied Tori. "You weren't being your normal, usual self; you were just—screaming about 'eradicating bullies' and 'wiping Shark off the face of the earth' and other things like that—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," interrupted Yuma. "Hold on. _I_ was talking like _that_? I would never say things like that! I mean, sure, I don't like bullies, and I would rather have a world without them—but that doesn't mean I want to rid the world of them or anything like that! That's not how my dad taught me! I can't even _imagine_ saying something like 'wiping Shark off the face of the earth', and I _definitely_ can't _remember_ saying something like that!"

"Well, you don't really remember much else about your Duel with him, either, so that doesn't really help much," Bronk deadpanned. "But you are right about one thing: That's not the sort of thing Yuma would say. So if Yuma wouldn't ever even _consider_ saying that sort of thing, the question becomes: Why _did_ he say it?"

"And you're asking me this because?" asked Yuma dryly. "I don't remember anything, remember?"

"Well, excuse us!" huffed Tori. "Bronk and I could have just discussed this by ourselves, you know, without talking to you at all, but we came here because we wanted to include you in this—because after all, this whole incident revolves around you! And you're asking why we're here? Well, then, if you want, Bronk and I can just leave right now, seeing as _we're_ the only ones apart from Shark who actually _remember_ anything about it!"

"I didn't mean—" Yuma started to mumble, but Tori cut him off again by getting up from her seat.

"Come on, Bronk!" she said, turning away from Yuma. "Let's go!"

"W-wait!" Yuma stood up. "I didn't mean _that_! I'm just saying that I don't think I can be of much help with the question of why I would say something like that, not that I don't want you guys here! Come on, Tori, sit down—I'd much rather you and Bronk stay and help, honest!" he pleaded, a touch of desperation in his voice that was not altogether faked.

"Well... all right," Tori relented, sitting back down. "We were just worried about you," she said, "and when you just completely blew off Bronk's question, I guess I thought you didn't care..."

"Oh, believe me, I care," Yuma reassured her almost instantly. _More than you think, too..._ "Now, let's get back on topic, please. I was actually thinking, Bronk: Since I don't remember anything, could you just recount the Duel for me? That way, I could get up to date with what happened and can at least know what you know if the situation were to pop up again..."

"Um... sure," agreed Bronk indifferently. "I'll try my best..."

* * *

"What..." Yuma wondered. "How could I have pulled off something as hard as that? I'm not that great of a Duelist! That sort of combo... I'm not even sure I know my dad's cards well enough to do that! Whatever it was... that definitely wasn't me... but then... did something take over my body? Just what could've happened back there?"

"No idea," Bronk answered. "That's why Tori and I thought that you should duel someone else and see if it happens again!"

There was a small pause. Then... "_WHAT?!_"

"Think about it, Yuma!" elaborated Tori. "Since you went all... _weird_ during your Duel with Shark, it makes sense that that best way to try and make it happen again would be to duel again, right? That way, we could get as close as possible to th-the _original conditions_ _of the incident—_right?" she finished, looking at Bronk as though to confirm if she had used the correct terms, to which the large green-haired boy nodded.

"...So let me get this straight," Yuma said, his eyes closed and his face contorted into a frown. "I'm supposed to duel someone just so you guys can see if the same thing happens as last time, and if it does happen, you'll have no idea what'll happen next or what to do about it except what happened last time, which is to finish the Duel—and if we go by what Shark or I said during _our_ Duel, if I defeat you with that Utopia card of mine, you'll take real damage and possibly die?"

"Well, when you put it that way..." Bronk muttered, looking disgruntled.

"No," said Yuma, his tone leaving no room for argument. "I'm _not_ going to endanger one of you just so we can figure out why I went all psycho while dueling Shark and then Summoned a monster that can apparently inflict real damage. Even if we don't know for sure," he continued when Tori opened her mouth to interrupt, "there's a real risk here, and one that I'm not willing to take."

Tori closed her mouth, her reply dying in her throat.

"Well, then, what do you think we should do?" challenged Bronk, clearly feeling dissatisfied at his plan having been shot down.

"I didn't say I have an idea," Yuma shot back. "Let's just go outside and take a walk or something, okay?" Without waiting for an answer, he got up and started heading for the door.

"H-hey! Wait!" Bronk started to get up, but then sat down again, looking at Tori strangely. "Yuma has definitely been acting weird ever since his Duel with Shark—even after it finished. Usually, he would positively _jump_ at the chance to duel someone, but today, he just completely brushed it off... I mean, I know his concerns were valid, but for _him_ to bring them up... He's actually thinking carefully for once, which he's never done before..."

"But isn't that a good thing?" asked Tori curiously. "If Yuma doesn't rush recklessly into things as much, wouldn't that mean that we should be glad about it?"

Bronk sighed, looking directly at Tori and causing the girl to fidget uncomfortably. "You tell me, Tori. Is it good that Yuma's lost his cheerfulness and his enthusiasm? Is it good that he's not looking at life the same way he used to? Then there's the fact that he stayed home from school all day today and made up some half-assed excuse about it..."

"..."

"How are we going to help him this time?" Bronk asked, almost talking to himself. "And that Number card of his... if there's more than one out there, and they can really inflict real damage, we could be in for some trouble..."

* * *

Elsewhere in the city, there was an extremely large room that was more or less completely dark, the only light source being a huge computer monitor in the center of said room, which glowed dimly. In front of the monitor was a comfortable-looking swivel chair, on which sat a man with neat brown hair and thick glasses

The brown-haired man smirked to himself. "Excellent... nearly all the pieces are in place... and when I am through... the whole of Heartland City shall look upon my accomplishment and weep!" He let out a harsh bark of laughter.

Suddenly, a child-like creature leapt into view on the monitor, wearing a pair of brownish-green shorts and a red-and-white striped T-shirt. Instead of a head, though, there was a large bomb with an oscillating crack in the middle that seemed to serve as a mouth. In the creature's two hands, there were two smaller bombs.

"Crashbug!" the creature cried out in a thin, high-pitched voice, laughing gleefully as copies of it started appearing on the screen until the entire monitor was filled with these freakish-looking children.

The man chuckled, looking as though he was highly amused by this spectacle. His low voice—providing stark contrast to the high voice of the child-like monsters—rang out across the room, amplified by the chamber's size and acoustic qualities. "It's time to go viral..."

* * *

Multiple plots are coming together and conjoining, combining and twisting in ways unforeseen... As Shark and Astral race to find the source of the city's disturbance in hopes of acquiring a Number, Yuma and his friends work to discover the meaning of the strange new Xyz Monster in his Extra Deck, as well as why he acted so strangely when he dueled Shark. In the meantime, unbeknownst to either of our heroes, a third person is taking action... What fuels his movements? Is it the Number that Shark and his otherworldly companion so desire? And will Yuma ever come to terms with the destiny that seems to have seized him? Find out next time, on Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL: Alternate Universe!


End file.
